Copenhagen is famous for cycling and is the first Bike city of the world. As you can see from the photos, there are bikes everywhere. There are designated parking areas for bikes, 390km of bike lanes and even traffic lights for bikes!
I noticed in the city that there were many vacant car parking spaces, something you would never see in a capital city. This is because everyone cycles. In fact, we were told on our Free Walking Tour that 70% of people living in Copenhagen do not own a car! Compare this to our last Irish census in 2011: 69% used cars to go to work and only 10.5% walked or cycled to work.
There is quite a range of bikes used in Copenhagen. I saw the usual mountain bikes, racers and hybrids but the majority of bikes were of the "High Nelly" style. Most had baskets on the front and many had carts/trailers on the back or front to transport their children!
For the real Copenhagen experience, tourists are encouraged to rent bikes. A lot of hotels can arrange bike rental but for me who is afraid of getting lost and stranded in an unfamiliar city, the Copenhagen City Bike is a brilliant idea. Each bike has a computer screen that has a full GPS system. Bikes are docked all over the city. To use one you need a credit card and log in. You set up a profile and from then on, all your routes are recorded and you can navigate using the GPS screen. If you pick up another City Bike later you just log in and all your details and routes traveled are on the system.
I noticed in the city that there were many vacant car parking spaces, something you would never see in a capital city. This is because everyone cycles. In fact, we were told on our Free Walking Tour that 70% of people living in Copenhagen do not own a car! Compare this to our last Irish census in 2011: 69% used cars to go to work and only 10.5% walked or cycled to work.
There is quite a range of bikes used in Copenhagen. I saw the usual mountain bikes, racers and hybrids but the majority of bikes were of the "High Nelly" style. Most had baskets on the front and many had carts/trailers on the back or front to transport their children!
For the real Copenhagen experience, tourists are encouraged to rent bikes. A lot of hotels can arrange bike rental but for me who is afraid of getting lost and stranded in an unfamiliar city, the Copenhagen City Bike is a brilliant idea. Each bike has a computer screen that has a full GPS system. Bikes are docked all over the city. To use one you need a credit card and log in. You set up a profile and from then on, all your routes are recorded and you can navigate using the GPS screen. If you pick up another City Bike later you just log in and all your details and routes traveled are on the system.
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